Street-car annunciator and advertising device



W. H. MOORE AND L. L. FLEMING.

STREET CAR ANNUNCIATOR AND ADVERTISING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5. 1920.

1,363,146, I I Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. MOORE AND LYMAN' L. FLEMING, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD T0 ALBERT O. ALLEN, JR, OF NEW MADRID, MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

Application filed July 6, 1920. Serial No. 394,389.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. MOORE and LYMAN L. FLEMING, citizens of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Car Annunciator and Advertising Devices; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such .as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention appertains to changeable sign exhibitors. It is particularly designed and adapted for use in public conveyances for the purpose of announcing or displaying to passengers, or others, the names of the intersecting streets or of the stations along the right of way as the vehicle approaiches t is designed to be actuated after having passed one street or station to display the name of the next street or station. It may be manually controlled by the conductor of the conveyance or may be automatically controlled, as by stops or trips along the way.

It comprises guide rods or wires having horizontal and upright portions, a series of sign boards or cards each having one margin adapted to be threaded on the upright portion, and supporting means for a stack of cards, threaded as described, in horizontal position with means for releasing the cards one by one and allowing them to slip downward in succession onto the horizontal portions of the guides from which the sign cards will depend and successively expose to view the names of streets or other matter which may be imprinted upon the cards. In the embodiment shown we design to use electrically controlled and actuated mechanism for releasing the cards one by one, the operation of said mechanism being governed by a circuit closing device somewhere along the way.

In the accompanying drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views: a

Figure 1 is a perspective of a covering and supporting casing with the sign ex{ hibitor shown within it, one side of the casing being removed to expose the interior mechanism;

Fig. 2 is across sectionmidway of the casing but showing the sign cards, the guides and sustaining rack in full lines;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a sign card made in two parts with the parts separated;

'Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectional views taken through one side wall of the casing and disclosingsustaining and releasing mechanism adapted to release the cards one at a time;

.Fig. 6 is a diagram of a circuit for controlling the sign card releasing mechanism.

The saidsign exhibitor or visual annunciator comprises a casing 1, which is preferably of rectangular box like form having closed top and sides but an open bottom. The casing 1 may be placed over the door of a street car, for example, where it will be visible to all of the passengers. Within the casing 1 is a removable and reversible rack comprising a T-shaped frame having a wide rear plate or member 2 adapted to be seated against the rear wall 1 of the casing so as to be removed therefrom at will. a narrower plate or member 3 parallel with said member 2, and a connecting horizontal cross member 4. In the present embodiment we have shown .guide ways 5 adapted to overlap the end portions of the rear member 2 of the rack and allow it to be slid upward in contact with the back wall 1 of the casing 1 guided by said members 5. A latch, such as 6, or pins, or any other suitable means may be used for retaining the said rack member in place supported against the rear wall 1 of the casing 1. Narrow supports such as ledges 7 are formed on the front sides of the member 3 at the upper and lower edges, respectlvely, as shown in Fig. 2.

Two or more U-shaped card guides designated as a. whole by the numeral 8, made preferably of stout wire or small rod, embrace the member 3, the ends of the limbs 8 of said guides being secured, as at 9, to the rear plate 2 of the rack 1. The front portions 10 of the guide rods are normally in an upright position adequately spaced from the front of the plate or member 3, and the limbs 8 of said U-shapedmembers are suitably spaced from the upper and lower edges of said member 3. Sign cards are designed to be threaded on the member 8 for exhibition purposes, a stack of such cards being threaded on the upright por tions 10, with the rear edge of thelowest card resting on the lower ledge 7 and the front edge sustained by a releasing device to be subsequently described.

The form of sign card 11 preferred to be used is illustrated inFig. 3. It is composed order that the cards may be threaded onto, the members without removing the guide rods. 8 from their attachment to the member 2. These eyelets 13 and slots 141: may be-reinforced if desired by a clip orbinding of sheet metal as indicated by-dotted lines at 15. That edge of each card which lies opposite the eyelet is cut out, as shown at 16, leaving dependingtabs 17 Notches 18 are formed in the end of the card as shown above the tabs 17. A sign plate 20, preferably of sheetmetal, isattached to that edge of each card which is opposite the eyelets 13. This sign plate 20 has its end folded, as shown at 21,, soas to embrace or provide for the admission of the edges of the tabs 17 of the card. Thus a sign plate 20 may be slid over the tabs 17, and fastening devices 19,

adapted toyseat ,in.,the notches 18 of the card, may secure thesign plate 20 removably in place on the edge of said card intended to hang downward-or assume the lowest position when the card is dropped into view. The cut away portion 16 is adapted to expose both vsides of the sign plate 20 so as to permitthe name of a street, for example, to be printed onv both sides andexposed to view from either side.

Inpractice it is intendedto imprint advertisingmatter on the body of the card12 and-to place the name .of a street or station on the sign plate20, secured to an edge of a card .bearing the advertising matter. Thus, as the passengers inspect theannunciator to determine the next street or station, they must, of; necessity, seethe advertisement carriedabove the, name of the street or station on the depending sign card.

At the front 1 of the casing 1 a vertical shaft'25 is, pivoted in bearing members 26, and may be held againstlongitudinal move-- ment, by appropriate shaft collars 27.. At the lower .end ofsaid shaft is a rocker arm or cross lever 28, one end 28? of( which may be a littlev thicker orits upper surface on a slightly higherjlever than theother arm 28k Pivoted at each end of this rock-v ing arm or cross lever28 are trip and holder fingers ,29; and. .29 respectively guided, in openings 80jin the front .wall 1 of easing 1. The1 finger 29is 0111i higher level than the, finger 29. If thebar 25 is oscillated or rockechthe; finger 29 will be retractediwhile the finger 29" will be advancedgThe fingers 29gand 29 are the holding and releasing devices by which a stac k of sign; cards 4;. 1,; asiin l catedi nil ig a nd 2,: are eld in horizontal position concealed within the casing 1, and by which, when the shaft 25, is operated, the lowermost one of the cards of the stack may be dropped and assume a perpendicular position suspended below the case in view of the passengers, as illustrated. In the normal position indicated inFig. lnand Fig. 2 the stack of cards is sustained on therod 10 by the lower ledge 7 and the finger 29.

Should the shaft 25 now be rocked, the finger 29 will be witl1drawn,from-beneath the edge of the lowest card while the finger 29 will be inserted between the lowest card and the one immediately above it, Space for this is provided in any approved way, in the present instance by the thickness of the sheet of metal constituting the street sign plate 20, which is secured to the lower edge of the card-and carries the name of the street. l/Vhen the: finger 29 is withdrawn, the lowest card will drop, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, and will take a perpendicular position suspended from the lower branches 8 of the guide rod 8. The finger 29 willcatch under the card immediately above the one dropped and, when the shaft 25 is brought back ,againto its normal position, the finger 29 will take its place and catch the card before it has an opportunity to drop. In this way by repeated oscillation of the shaft 25 the lowermost cards will be droppedone by one.

In the embodiment shown, the shaft 25 has an arm 32 extending from one end over the top of the casing This arm 32 con stitutes the armature ofa magnet 33 providedwith binding posts 34, as shown. The arm 32 is normally held so as to push the finger 29 beneath thestack of cards by a spring 35 connected to a stud 36, or otherwise, to the. top of the casing 1., The magnet 33 may be energized by a push button on the car within reach, for example, of the conductor, and when deenergized the armature will beretracted by the said spring, or it may be engaged automatically. In practice, current for energizing the magnet may be obtained from a local battery 5,.the circuit of which is preferably controlled by circuit closer 0 carried by the conveyance arranged to be actuated by obstacles or trips outside the car alongthe way. These trips may be located along the track-orway so as to close the circuit momentarily after the vehicle has passed a street or station and the cards will be so arranged as to exposeatthattime the name of the next streetor station;

At the end of the route all of the cards will hang suspended from the lower horizontal limbs 8 of the rods. 8. The rack may then be. removed inverted and replaced within the casing 1, the cards havingrbeen restored to their horizontal position threadil pon he, p ight-- p rt ons t rods. As the conveyance traverses the route on the return trip the sign cards will be dropped one by one in the reverse order.

What we claim is:

1. In a changeable sign exhibitor, the combination of guiding means having vertical and horizontal connected portions and adapted to have a series of cards threaded thereon; a supporting device adjacent the upright portion of said guiding means and adjacent the interior angle formed by the upright and horizontal portions, said supporting device being disposed in position to engage under the edge of the lower card of a stack threaded on said guiding means, a supporting and releasing means spaced from the upright portion of said guiding means and comprising a finger adapted to engage under the opposite edge of the lower of a stack of cards, a second finger arranged to engage between the lowermost card and the one immediately above it, and means whereby said fingers may be alternately actuated to release the lower card.

2. In a changeable sign exhibitor, a substantially U-shaped card guide, a reversible support therefor adapted to hold said U- shaped guide with the limbs in substantially horizontal position, and marginal support ing means for the cards adjacent the upper and lower ends of the upright member of the U-guide.

3. In a changeable sign exhibitor, the combination of a reversible rack having front and rear substantially parallel plates, guide means spaced from the front plate and supported by the back plate, a projection at the upper and lower edge of the front supporting plate adapted to support the back margin of the lower card of a stack guided on said guiding means, and a mechanism adapted to support the opposite edges of the cards of the stack to release them one by one.

4. In a changeable sign exhibitor, the combination of a casing, a rack comprising front and rear plates, means for detachably securing said rack to the rear wall of the casing, U-shaped guides embracing the front plate of said rack, the ends of the limbs of said guides being secured to the rear plate thereof, marginal card supporting projections at the upper and lower edges of the front plate of said rack, and means adapting the rack to be secured to the casing with either ledge lowermost.

5. In a changeable sign exhibitor, a reversible card rack comprising a body substantially T-shaped in section composed of two parallel plates one narrower than the other connected by a cross plate centrally thereof, narrow ledges projecting outward from the upper and lower edges of said narrower plate, U-shaped rods having their ends connected to the wider plate and embracing the narrow plate and spaced therefrom, said rack being adapted to be supported either side upward, whereby sign cards supported on the guide rods may be released in regular or inverse order.

6. In a sign exhibitor, a casing, card guides therein, cards having a slidable con nection to said'guides, a support for the lower margin of said cards adjacent the guides, a pair of trip fingers on the casing adapted to support the cards by engagement under the opposite margin, and means for operating said trip fingers alternately in order to release the lowermost card and catch the one above it.

7. In a sign exhibitor, a casing, card guides and marginal card supports within the casing, a rock shaft on the casing, a rock arm on the rock shaft, fingers pivoted to the rock arm and adapted to alternately support and release the cards, an electromagnet on the casing, an armature on the rock shaft, a spring for holding the armature retracted and one of the trip fingers in supporting position, and means for energizing the magnet.

8. In a sign exhibitor, a sign card, a detachable sign plate attached to said sign card and having ends folded and embracing the edges of the card.

9. In a changeable exhibitor, a sign card having notches in its edges, a sign plate having its ends folded so as to embrace the sign card, and fastening devices engaging the sign plate and the notches in said sign card.

10. In a sign exhibitor, a sign card having its lower margin partially cut away leaving end tabs, a sign plate having its ends folded to embrace the edges of said tabs, and means for securing said sign plate to said sign card whereby both sides of said sign plate can be exposed.

11. In a changeable sign exhibitor, the combination of guiding means having substantially vertical and horizontal portions, a series of cards having one margin slidably connected to said guiding means, a detachable sign plate fastened to the opposite margin of each card, a supporting means for engaging beneath the margin of the lowest card of the series that is guided on the vertical portion of said guiding means, spaced fingers for engaging above and below the free margin of the sign plate of the lowest card guided by the vertical portion of the guiding means, and connections between said fingers whereby they may be alternately projected and retracted.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

WILLIAM H. MOORE. LYMAN L. FLEMING. 

